Karen Kun, founder of Waterlution, an organization to promote water awareness and connect people working in the field, had this to say recently about bottled water:

There’s a whole industry around them. For example, it’s ridiculous to ship huge amounts of bottled water into offices. The only time that water is useful is if there’s a known contamination, and then it should be available. Like when you’re on a train and the water is not potable. It’s big business… Previous generations drank out of fountains. Today, fewer water fountains are available, and your option is to buy a plastic bottle of water. We’re not yet sure how the plastic affects us, and whether it will be worth the price of being hydrated.